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News & Events for  the Pittsburgh Consulting Community

 

October 2011

In This Issue of PCC News
Oct. 18 - 3 Social Media Sites Every Consultant Should Use
Compression Planning Insitute - Special Offer
Featured Consultant - Bonnie Budzowski
Nov. 1 - Best Practices in Email Marketing
Booking for Business
Linked to LinkedIn

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Greetings!

 

Here's what's in the works for the rest of the year with the Consulting Tribe

 

October 18 - 3 Social Media Sites Every Consultant Should Use and Why offered by Certified Social Media Strategist Cindy Neky of Marketing Pathways

 

November 1 -  Why Your Email Doesn't Get Opened: Best Practices in Email Marketing presented by David Yunghans, the Regional Development Director for Constant Contact

 

More details are below.  Keep your eyes on your email or our LinkedIn discussions for more events and information.

 

Special Offer:  The Compression Planning Institute is offering a discount to the Consulting Community for the November sessions.  Check out the details below.

 

 

 

See you in October!

 

 

Michael Couch
Michael@mcassociatesinc.com

3 Social Media Sites Every Consultant Should Use and Why

A Special PCC Event on October 18   

Presented by Cindy Neky

 

President of MarketingPathways

 

Certified Social Media Strategist 
 

 

Ever wonder what all the fuss is about with social media?  Are you convinced business professionals don't use it?

 

 Every business needs to be using social media and now is the best time to start.  Don't be left behind.  You are losing business by not being involved in the fastest growing form of marketing in 2011.

 

Want to know what social media sites are the best for your business?  If you only have a limited amount of time to spend marketing your consulting business, you will learn which sites will make the greatest impact in getting you solid leads and new customers.

 

Cindy Neky is a seasoned marketing and public relations consultant, Certified Social Media Strategist, coach and speaker.  As a speaker, she creates excitement with topics relating to marketing, public relations and social media.  Her consulting firm, Marketing Pathways, provides a wide range of hands-on, tactical and strategic marketing services for small businesses. 

 

 

Click here for details and online registration

The Compression Planning� Institute at Oglebay - A Special PCC Offer

 

2� days that will dramatically increase your effectiveness as a consultant

 

I learned Compression Planning  - the art and science of facilitation - many years ago from the founder of the Compression Planning Institute and Consulting Community member, Jerry McNellis.  I can honestly say that it is the single best thing I did to advance my business career.  It is now a tool that is a keystone to my consulting success.

 

Compression Planning brings individuals together to learn how to leverage their collaborative time, make better decisions faster, and get their organization heading in the same direction.  By cutting down the time it takes to plan for major projects and solve complex issues, your can help your clients move faster to implement fresh solutions.

 

 Click here to learn more about the benefits of attending the Institite 

 

Special Offer for the Pittsburgh Consulting Community!

Receive a 15% discount for the November 2011 Institute. 

 To take advantage of this Special Offer, call Luana at (724) 225-8664 and mention that you read about the Institute in the Consulting Community Newsletter.

Featured Consultant - Bonnie Budzowski

 

Bonnie BAs owner of inCredible Messages, Bonnie Budzowski works with clients to capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action. She brings a "Get it Done!" perspective as she coaches clients to use their expertise to write powerful, business-boosting books and presentations. Bonnie's tools include her proprietary SCORE system, which makes the secrets of professional writers available for any project.  The SCORE system is detailed in Bonnie's self-guided course, Write Your Book to Build Your Business. 

Bonnie blends high-energy, humor, and a cut-to-the-chase style with motivation and encouragement. Her practical techniques save clients time and frustration while helping them to achieve their goals.

Check out the article below, Booking for Business, for some incredible guidance from Bonnie on writing The Book

You can learn more about Bonnie at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

Why Your Email Doesn't Get Opened
Best Practices in Email Marketing
 
Mark Your Calendar!
 
Join the Consulting Community on November 1 when our guest will be David Yunghans,
the Regional Director for Constant Contact.  

 

Did you ever wonder why your email doesn't get opened? Did anyone ever send you back a nasty letter once your email campaign went out? Do you have a lot of un-subscribers? Is your "open rate" important? Is it really so bad if they just deleted it and never read it? So, what are the best practices anyway?

 

This program is designed to help you understand the WHY behind all email campaigns - what works, what doesn't and what the "rules" are. You could be doing yourself more damage than good by sending out and email blast. Or, those un-opened emails could be really helping your business long term. Come find out the answers to these and many more questions. This program is for the novice as well as the seasoned veteran - all you need is your note book, your questions, and an open mind!

 

You will learn:

  • When to send email
  • What the "2 Second" rule is
  • How to get your email opened and acted upon
  • How Social Media plays a role in your success

Watch your email and our LinkedIn Group for more details.

Booking for Business

 By Bonnie Budzowski, inCredibleMessages

 

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, books are becoming popular and powerful marketing tools for entrepreneurs.  With the availability of print-on-demand and electronic publishing, consultants, coaches, small business owners, and professional speakers are realizing great dividends from making their expertise available in book form.  

A book doesn't have to be a bestseller to boost your credibility and drive revenue.  A book can generate publicity that drives people to your website.  It can also generate speaking engagements that allow you to showcase what you offer to clients. Some entrepreneurs use a book as a sophisticated business brochure, costing roughly three to four dollars per impressive brochure.

One of my favorite book success stories features Barbara Thompson, a Pittsburgh native and weight loss surgery patient.  Thompson wrote the first patient-to-patient book on weight loss surgery after stumbling on the fact that no such book existed.  Once the book was finished, Thompson exhibited at the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and gave away copies of the book to physicians and others in the bariatric field.  Ten years later, physicians still buy Thompson's book-by the case-to give to their patients. 

Thompson's book, Finding the Thin Person Within, launched her career as a speaker. The book also opened opportunities to serve as a media expert for prestigious sources such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN and People Magazine.  Today, Thompson has a newsletter distribution list topping 10,000, sells a mentoring program to fellow patients, and serves as President of the Obesity Action Coalition.  It all started with one self-published book.

Of course, talking about writing a book is easier than actually completing a book project.  Many entrepreneurs don't think of themselves as writers, and can't fathom fitting a book project into an already overloaded schedule.  As a book mentor, coach, and co-writer, I work with entrepreneurial authors to achieve their goals of writing a business-building book.  Here are some tips I share with clients to make the process easier:

1.      Solve a specific problem.  Avoid the temptation to believe, "If I write about my expertise, they will buy and read."  People buy books that address their priorities and solve their problems.  Think carefully about what problems your clients find expensive and frustrating.  Pick one of these problems to address. 

2.      Stick to your focus.  If you are a consultant, you probably have enough experience and expertise to fill a number of books.  Trying to sort through all that material can be overwhelming.  Accept this:  No one wants to read everything you've learned over the last 20-30 years, and you can't write it all down anyway.

Choose a segment of your expertise, a narrow slice that solves a customer problem, and you'll have a project you can manage and, eventually, a book people are likely to buy and read.

3.      Create a plan that "chunks" your work.  It's much easier to write a 500-750 word "chunk" than it is to write a chapter.  Plus, a plan divided into chunks makes it easy to know where to begin again after an interruption. 

Think of each chapter as a series of chunks.  For example, you might start each chapter with a client story that highlights an aspect of the problem you are addressing.  Follow this client story with a description of the process you use to solve the specific aspect of the problem covered in the chapter.  Next, provide another client story highlighting how the intervention worked.  Next, give a list of tips or exercises the reader can try. 

4.      Keep your eye on your reader.  Identify one or several people you know who can represent your clients and target readers.  Post the photos of these folks in front of you throughout your whole book development and writing process.

 Keeping a few real readers in mind helps you stay on target, guiding you regarding what to include and what to exclude from the book.

Writing a book is a big project, but with good planning, you can create a book that provides real value to your clients while showcasing your expertise and marketing your capabilities.  Nothing distinguishes you from your competitors like a book with your name as author on the cover.  Now is a great time to get started.

Learn more at www.inCredibleMessges.com

 

 

PCC LinkedIn Group

 
Start a discussion, look for resources, ask a question, find a colleaguePCC Logo

 

The Consulting Community's LinkedIn Group has grown to over 500 members.  If you haven't connected to the Group yet, now's the time.  It's a great source of informative discussions, news and information about Community Members.  We've also linked the news feed from the Institute for Management Consultants so that you can see the invaluable "Daily Tips for Consultants".

  
It's a restricted group, so click here to request to join and I'll approve your membership. 
The Pittsburgh Consulting Community and the Consulting Mastermind Groups are sponsored by:
 
MC
 
Michael A. Couch, President
412-952-9036